Purchasing Manager

Job Description

Job Description:\n\n \n Job Title: Purchasing Manager\n Department: Purchasing\n Location: Burnsville, MNReports To: Sr. Procurement Manager\n \n Position Summary\n The Purchasing Manager leads purchasing activities supporting Havis operations in Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana. Reporting to the Sr. Procurement Manager, this role directs the purchasing team and translates business priorities into coordinated sourcing, supplier-management, and material-execution plans. The position is accountable for supporting material availability, supplier performance, cost competitiveness, inventory optimization, and consistent purchasing practices across the supported locations.\n Working closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, Engineering, Finance, and Product Development, the Purchasing Manager aligns supplier capabilities and purchasing plans with customer requirements, production schedules, new product introductions, and business objectives. The role balances near-term operational needs with longer-term supply continuity, commercial value, and supplier-development opportunities.\n Success in this position requires effective people leadership, sound commercial judgment, strong analytical skills, manufacturing knowledge, and hands-on problem solving. The Purchasing Manager establishes clear priorities, communicates supply risks and recovery plans, and follows through on commitments in a fast-paced, multi-site manufacturing environment.\n \n Purchasing Leadership & Team Development\n \n Lead, coach, and mentor Buyers through clear goals, regular feedback, and development opportunities that strengthen purchasing expertise, accountability, and professional growth.\n Establish and communicate purchasing priorities across supported Havis locations, aligning team activities with production requirements, material constraints, sourcing projects, and business objectives.\n Promote consistent execution of purchasing policies, approval requirements, ERP practices, and supplier-management standards; reinforce accurate records and disciplined follow-through.\n Assess purchasing workload, supplier escalations, material shortages, and competing business needs; allocate resources and adjust priorities to maintain effective support for each location.\n Develop and continuously improve purchasing procedures, tools, metrics, and standard work; identify training needs and share effective practices across the purchasing team.\n \n \n Supplier Management & Strategic Sourcing\n \n Manage the sourcing process from supplier identification and requests for quotation (RFQs) through bid analysis, negotiation, selection, and implementation; document recommendations based on cost, capability, quality, delivery, and supply risk.\n Use supplier scorecards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor quality, delivery, cost, responsiveness, and continuous improvement; review performance trends and follow up on agreed corrective actions.\n Work with suppliers to improve lead times, capacity readiness, delivery reliability, and quality; establish clear expectations and coordinate improvement plans with internal stakeholders.\n Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, payment terms, lead times, minimum order quantities, tooling, freight, and other purchasing requirements; evaluate total cost and document agreed terms in accordance with company approval processes.\n Identify and develop alternative and secondary sources for critical materials and components; coordinate supplier evaluation and qualification activities with Engineering, Quality, and Operations to reduce supply-continuity risk.\n Support year-over-year cost reduction through competitive sourcing, negotiation, supplier development, value analysis, and other cost-improvement activities; work with Finance and relevant stakeholders to validate benefits without compromising quality or supply reliability.\n Coordinate timely resolution of supplier sourcing, quality, delivery, capacity, and pricing issues; communicate operational impact, recovery actions, responsible parties, and unresolved risks to appropriate stakeholders.\n \n \n Material Availability & Inventory Management\n \n Use demand, production, inventory, and supply-planning inputs to guide purchasing execution and maintain material availability for customer requirements and production schedules; reassess priorities as requirements change.\n Partner with Planning, Operations, and Supply Chain to identify material shortages and supply constraints early, evaluate recovery options, and coordinate expediting or other appropriate actions.\n Monitor supplier commitments, open purchase orders, lead times, and past-due requirements; obtain updated delivery information and maintain visibility to exceptions that could affect production or customer commitments.\n Analyze inventory levels and purchasing parameters, including lead times, order quantities, and replenishment settings, to balance service requirements with inventory investment; coordinate parameter changes with relevant stakeholders.\n Identify excess, slow-moving, and obsolete inventory; investigate contributing factors and coordinate actions to reduce exposure and prevent recurrence, including changes to purchasing or replenishment practices.\n Support inventory and replenishment strategies for customer lead-time and stocking programs; align supplier arrangements and purchasing execution with agreed service requirements and changing demand.\n \n \n Manufacturing & Commodity Purchasing\n \n Manage procurement across manufacturing commodities, including injection-molded plastics, machined components, sheet metal, stampings, electronics, printed/silk-screened components, assemblies, hardware, and tooling; apply an understanding of relevant manufacturing processes when assessing sourcing options.\n Evaluate supplier technical capability, quality, capacity, commercial competitiveness, lead time, and supply risk; collaborate with technical stakeholders to confirm that sourcing recommendations meet component and production requirements.\n Collaborate with Engineering and Quality on engineering changes, supplier transitions, component substitutions, and product lifecycle requirements; coordinate purchasing actions to support approved changes and minimize disruption or excess inventory.\n Coordinate with Quality, Operations, and suppliers to resolve defective or rejected material, replacement needs, and supplier corrective-action issues; support timely containment and recovery while maintaining clear commercial and delivery expectations.\n \n \n New Product Introduction & Cross-Functional Support\n \n Represent Purchasing on cross-functional product development and new product introduction teams; provide sourcing input, supplier information, and purchasing milestones throughout the launch process.\n Coordinate sourcing, supplier readiness, tooling, cost, lead-time, and material-availability requirements for product launches; track open purchasing actions and communicate issues that could affect launch readiness.\n Identify supply-chain risks and supplier capacity concerns early in product development; work with Engineering, Quality, Planning, and suppliers to evaluate mitigation options before production requirements become critical.\n Process and support Engineering Change Orders affecting suppliers, pricing, tooling, inventory, or material requirements; coordinate implementation timing, supplier communication, and related purchasing-record updates.\n Provide purchasing and supplier-management support to Havis global operations as required; coordinate with local stakeholders to clarify requirements, share supplier information, and support consistent purchasing practices.\n \n \n Analytics, Performance & Continuous Improvement\n \n Use ERP data and analytical tools to identify supply-chain risks, purchasing trends, cost opportunities, inventory exposure, and supplier-performance issues; validate data and translate findings into prioritized recommendations.\n Develop and maintain purchasing and supplier-performance metrics, including measures relevant to delivery, quality, cost improvement, material availability, and inventory exposure; communicate trends and action plans to appropriate stakeholders.\n Support forecasting and planning analysis for purchasing and inventory decisions; evaluate changes in demand, lead times, and supplier commitments and explain their implications for material plans.\n Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen purchasing efficiency, supplier performance, material availability, and business results; identify root causes, coordinate corrective actions, and assess whether improvements are sustained.\n Ensure purchasing activities comply with company policies, procedures, approval requirements, and internal controls; maintain accurate purchasing documentation and escalate exceptions through established channels.\n \n \n Required Qualifications\n \n Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.\n 7+ years of progressive purchasing, procurement, or supply-chain experience in a manufacturing environment, with responsibility for supplier relationships, purchasing execution, and operational problem solving.\n Demonstrated experience leading, supervising, or developing purchasing or supply-chain professionals, including setting priorities, coaching team members, and supporting consistent execution.\n Experience sourcing and managing suppliers in one or more relevant manufacturing commodities, such as injection-molded plastics, machining, sheet metal fabrication, stampings, electronics, assemblies, hardware, or tooling; understanding of how supplier capabilities affect quality, cost, and delivery.\n Demonstrated experience with supplier negotiations, cost analysis, RFQs, supplier selection, and supplier-performance management, including evaluating commercial alternatives and resolving supplier issues.\n Strong understanding of material planning, inventory management, purchasing, forecasting, and manufacturing supply-chain principles; ability to balance material availability, lead-time requirements, and inventory investment.\n Ability to analyze complex operational and financial data, identify trends and root causes, and translate findings into clear recommendations and actionable business decisions.\n Strong analytical, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate trade-offs and develop practical solutions to purchasing and supply challenges.\n Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven manufacturing environment while maintaining accuracy, communicating changes, and following through on commitments.\n Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Planning, and other functions to resolve issues and align purchasing decisions.\n Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain commercial terms, present analytical findings, and communicate supply risks and recovery plans clearly.\n Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel for data analysis and reporting, along with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.\n Experience using ERP/MRP systems to support purchasing, review material requirements, monitor orders, and maintain accurate supplier and purchasing information.\n Strong attention to detail, accountability, sound judgment, and a continuous-improvement mindset; ability to work independently while escalating issues appropriately.\n Ability to understand written and verbal instructions in English and communicate effectively about purchasing requirements, operating procedures, and workplace safety.\n \n \n Preferred Qualifications\n \n Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations, including coordinating purchasing priorities and supplier requirements across locations.\n Experience supporting new product introduction and product lifecycle management, including supplier readiness, launch material planning, and engineering-change implementation.\n Experience with supplier scorecards, supplier development, and structured supplier-performance programs, including improvement planning and corrective-action follow-up.\n Experience with manufacturing ERP/MRP platforms beyond routine purchasing transactions, such as reporting, data-quality improvement, or refinement of purchasing and planning processes.\n Professional supply-chain certification, such as ASCM CPIM/CSCP or ISM CPSM, is a plus.\n \n \n Work Environment\n \n Primarily an office-based position within a manufacturing environment, involving regular coordination with purchasing colleagues, cross-functional partners, and suppliers.\n Regular interaction with manufacturing, warehouse, and production areas may be required to understand material needs, investigate supply issues, and coordinate operational support.\n Follow applicable safety requirements and personal protective equipment (PPE) standards when entering designated production, warehouse, or supplier areas.\n Periodic travel between Havis locations and supplier facilities may be required to support supplier reviews, sourcing activities, issue resolution, and coordination across sites.\n \n \n Company Details\n Havis is at the forefront of revolutionizing industries by unlocking the full potential of technology to drive productivity and enhance safety through innovative mobility solutions. We take pride in being the trusted partner of choice for technology providers, enabling them to move business forward in a wide range of industries, such as Retail & Hospitality, Public Safety, Energy & Utilities, Warehouse & Distribution, Field Operations, Transportation & Logistics, Healthcare, and Military Defense.\n \n Havis designs and manufactures market-leading Computing, Mounting, Power, and Transport Solutions. Our engineering and product development centers serve as the backbone of our commitment to excellence. With a team of highly-skilled engineers who have a deep understanding of design, manufacturing processes, and cutting-edge technologies, Havis consistently delivers products that set our market and industry standards and exceed customer expectations. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities complement our engineering capabilities, allowing us to bring our design concepts to life with precision and efficiency. Our focus on quality and rigorous testing protocols ensures that our products are built to withstand the demands of real-world applications.\n \n We are a dynamic and customer-focused company that continuously strives to meet and exceed the evolving needs of our valued customers. We firmly believe that collaboration lies at the heart of s